Swarming locusts are crop pests of major importance, displaying unusual outbreaks with an irregular cycle and swarming individuals typical of a high-density distinctive form, the phase gregaria. Here we propose to complete the first ever large-scale population genetic analysis of a swarming locust, the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera. This species is the most devastating locust in Australia due to the frequency and severity of its outbreaks, as well as its widespread distribution across t he continent. Genetic spatial structuring analyses will be combined with the evaluation - of the expression of the behavioural phase polyphenism, in which locusts respond to increased local population density by shifting from the solitaria condition, in which they do not aggregate or migrate, to the migratory, swarm-forming phase gregaria, and - of the local resource distribution patterns known to influence the migratory behaviour. This study will considerably enhance our understanding of locust migration in an ecological and behavioural context. Knowledge from this project will be used to enhance preventative locust management in Australia by focusing monitoring and control efforts on critical swarm-forming populations and localities. This project will serve as a model for the application of population genetics to the management of swarming locusts around the world. The proposal is founded on the fields of population genetics, resource ecology, and behaviour, providing the applicant a first rate training in a wide variety of disciplines. Collaborators with varied research skills in academic (University of Sydney and Centre for Biology and Population Management) and applied (Australian Plague Locust Commission) research are involved, strengthening the research initiative and promising a greater unity in tackling an important problem.
Source: European commission
